5 Tips to Advertise An Upcoming Youth Event

Let’s Make Youth Events the Best Ever! I hear a lot of youth leaders chatter that they can’t get their “kids” to do anything. They can’t get the numbers for a retreat or all-nighter. Youth leading is just that – LEADING! Being in charge of a youth group means YOU are the one to make things happen. Teens and pre-teens are conflicted in so many areas of their lives and they really don’t know which way to turn. Many have a hard time making decisions because in today’s world, there are so many decisions to make.

Teens are concerned with having many friends and doing the “right thing” to be cool. They are very scared to make wrong “peer” decisions.

This is exactly the place that a great youth leader steps in and LEADS. You need to be the one to tell them what’s going on and lead them to take part. This comes with a beginning decision of why you are in youth work and why you would even have an event. If there is not a passion to see students come to Christ, grow in Him and in turn, serve Him, then there is some re-thinking that needs to be done.

Every event planned by a youth leader should have a purpose. Those can be different at different times but there has to be some reason for the event. You won’t get the assistance you need in leadership unless others see a reason for giving up a night at home, a weekend, or even a week. Your passion for kids has to be translated to those you want to come alongside with you.

Your passion then has to transfer to the students, themselves. They have to see that you’re excited about the event planned. It needs to be conveyed to them that if they miss out, it’s going to be a BIG miss!

There is an idea among youth leaders that you just ask the kids what they want to do and it will happen. Some even think that if they announce a get together, students will just flock (bringing their friends with them). Not so. We all have to be challenged. There are many loud voices calling to all of us, wanting our attention and attendance. You have to LEAD.

Announce to your students that something big is about to happen. It’s going to be great! Everyone wants to come. They won’t want to miss out!

Then there are the parents and the church. You need to announce to them in order to have everyone on-board for your event.

Here are five tips to advertise in your church.

Ask for pulpit time to make announcements to the entire congregation

This informs parents. Messages don’t travel well from the youth room home.

Others in your congregation will be informed of what’s going on with the youth.

Students sitting in church but don’t come to youth group will hear of your event

Give bulletin inserts to the church secretary to include in the Sunday bulletin

Engage an artsy student to design this. (involvement)

Pass out a flyer as the congregation are leaving church

Flyers are a second way to get your information into the hands of the parents

Utilize your students: Have them stand at the doors as folks are leaving and pass these out

This helps your adults and students to mingle.

Display posters

Don’t only display posters in your youth room; make sure they are tacked around the church. Put them in the foyer, on the inside stall of women’s restroom stalls, in the fellowship hall, Bible study room, on doors, adult Sunday school rooms. Use your imagination!

Write a letter to the parents of your students explaining why you do what you do with their kids. Better yet – Plan a parent/youth pastor coffee.

Believe it or not, some parents are clueless about what goes on in youth group. Hence, they don’t see the importance. If they understand it’s a place of many positives including reception of the Word, they are not going to “ground their son” from youth group or allow him to miss another youth function.

Teen Quest has many camps and events that you can plug into for fun, friends, and godly challenges from the Word of God for your students. We can help you with your own event or you can join our program and we do it all for you. Contact us today and schedule your next upcoming fun! 814.444.9500

Do you have some other ideas you have used for advertising your next youth event? Wanna share? Leave us a comment.

Debbi Witt is the Associate Director of Teen Quest. She and her husband Mark stepped out in faith to begin Teen Quest in 1976. Since then, the ministry has grown from a small Bible club program into a regional camping, missions, and ministry team ministry serving the Northeast United States. Debbi and her husband, Mark (Executive Director of Teen Quest) live in Somerset, Pennsylvania. Together they have two grown children and six grandchildren.